1. Field of Use
This invention relates generally to side marker lights, clearance lights, and combination clearance and side marker lights for vehicles such as trailers, recreational vehicles and the like. In particular, it relates to converter means for converting a side marker light to a combination side marker and clearance light.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Federal, state and local regulations and industry standards require vehicles, including trailers, to have lights of specified light emitting characteristics and color to be located at specified positions to provide prescribed lighting signals and functions. U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,018 issued Aug. 20, 1974 to Weber and assigned to the same assignee as the present application identifies and briefly outlines some of these DOT and SAE regulations and standards and discloses a multi-purpose vehicle light which has a four-sided light emitting lens and is usable, for example, as a side marker light, a clearance light, a combination side marker and clearance light, or an identification light. U.S. Pat. No. 3,789,209 issued Jan. 29, 1974 to Weber et al and assigned to the same assignee as the present application discloses a vehicle tail light which has a built-in side marker light and employs a flat lens for light emission chiefly in one direction.
Briefly stated, clearance lights are those of a specified lens color which show to the front or rear of a vehicle, and are mounted on the permanent structure of the vehicle as near as practical at the right and left front sides and right and left rear sides at extreme width to indicate the overall width and height of the vehicle. Side marker lights are those of a specified lens color which show to the side of the vehicle and are mounted as near as practical at the front and rear on both sides of a trailer frame to indicate the overall length of the vehicle. Combination clearance and side marker lights are single lights which simultaneously fulfill the requirements of clearance and side marker lights.
In practice, both side marker lights and clearance lights typically comprise a molded plastic recessed mounting base having a bulb support within the recess, a bulb mounted on the support, and a lens of appropriate color and shape releasably secured to the mounting base and overlying the bulb. Typically, the lens which may be flat or multi-sided, depending on use, embodies interiorly molded surface projections to enhance light emission and dispersion therefrom or to provide a reflex reflector surface or both.
It is desirable from the standpoint of simplicity and economy in manufacture and inventory control to be able to substitute one type of light for another. However, each type of light is designed and constructed to meet the physical configuration and photometric requirements dictated by its particular application either as clearance, side marker, or combination clearance and side marker light and, as a result, such substitution is not usually possible. For example, lens configuration and construction often differ. Also, bulb location within various types of lights may differ. Thus, one type of side marker light employs a flat lens from which light is emitted in substantially one direction and it cannot, therefore, be employed as a substitute for another type of light, such as a side-mounted clearance light, which employs a multi-sided lens whereby light is emitted from the sides and the end of the lens. On the other hand, even in cases where a flat lens on a side marker light can physically be replaced by a multi-sided lens, the light bulb may be in the wrong location relative to the replacement lens and photometric requirements cannot be met for both side marker and clearance lights. In addition, the location of the integrally formed reflex reflector surface embodied in some lens may interfere with the photometric requirements for a clearance light even if the light bulb is in an appropriate location. Accordingly, it is desirable to provide converter means whereby one type of vehicle light, such as a conventional prior art side marker light, can be converted to another type of light, such as a combination side marker and clearance light.